Patriotism

Today I'm thankful for. . .

Patriotism.

One of the great blessings

of belonging to an Air Force school district

is that people around here know how to be patriotic.

Today during Matthew's high school soccer game

the fine men and women of Travis Air Force Base

called us to attention (via enormous loudspeakers)

as they prepared to play their daily rendition

of the National Anthem.

As soon as people knew what was going on

the game stopped,

the players froze,

everyone stood,

and we all placed our hands over our hearts

and observed a few moments of silence

as the Star Spangled Banner rang across the rolling hills.

I got all choked up.

I do every time.

I love this country

and the brave soldiers who protect our freedom.

What do you love best about this great country of ours?

Fall Ball

Adam just finished another year of "Fall Ball"

and had a great time.

It's a program run by the parks & rec department --

all for fun, no keeping score, play whatever position interests you.

In other words . . .

NO PRESSURE!

Adam thrives in this kind of environment,

and I love watching him.

This year he played catcher,

and he was

AMAZING!

(not that I'm biased or anything!)

Of course the ball is easy to catch when it's a strike,

but nothing gets by Adam!!! He can catch it high,

he can catch it low,

not even those balls to the side get by him. . . AND,

he can even do it with his eyes shut!

(how's that for talent??!!)

It's a dirty, sweaty job,

but when you're this good . . .

you just GOTTA DO IT!!

You're awesome, Adam!

Reality Check

I'm one of those really nice Moms who doesn't make their kids clean their rooms and make their beds if they leave the house before 6 a.m., so I KNEW when I saw Matthew's beautifully made bed yesterday that it was a moment to treasure. Today we're back to normal. . .

5 Things

I don't know if it's because of 9/11, but from the moment I woke up today I've been keenly aware of how many little things in my life I have to be thankful for. It was a slow, relaxing morning (good thing because from 3:00 on was a whirlwind of activity!), and I remember thinking that I should document these little joys (you inspired me, Cheri) so that I will always remember them - especially on those days that are so slow and relaxing! So here are 5 simple things I was thankful for today. . .

Matthew made his bed BEFORE Seminary WITHOUT being asked - WOW!! A morning snooze on my comfy red couch (had to get up TOO EARLY to do the Seminary thing!)
An afternoon slice of key lime pie (Happy 40th Birthday, Amy Mik!) - and the willpower to save half of it for Brad because he loves it so! Leaving a plate of warm cookies on the counter for Adam and his friend because I wouldn't be there when they got home. I always thought I would be the kind of parent who served warm cookies when the kids got home from school, and today (for the first time?) I WAS!
Finishing up the fall decorations. No pumpkins yet - I can't go there until at least October!

Wow. . . that felt good! Maybe I'll do this every week - I'll call it "Thankful Thursday!" How dorky is that?

Valero Family Day

On Saturday we took the ferry out to Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay for Valero Family Day. We had lunch, played volleyball, watched Matthew disco, got our bodies painted and watched as artists made some amazing balloon creations. But by far the best part of the day was participating in our first ever sand castle contest. I was a bit leary when Brad signed us up, and we got off to a bit of a slow start (we couldn't agree on what to create), but once we got started it was a lot of fun. Our friends the Quains helped us out and in the one hour time limit we created "Crush" (the turtle from Finding Nemo) out of sand. I have to say that it is lots harder than it looks - it was a hot day and the sand kept drying out and falling apart - but here's a picture of our creation...

You can't see the three baby turtles that were crawling behind him, but the whole thing was quite impressive looking! We won the award for "Best of Show" and received $50 in movie gift certificates and $25 worth of Jamba Juice gift cards! The kids were really proud of their hard work.

Thunderbirds

On Labor Day weekend, Brad took the boys out to the Air Force base to see the Thunderbirds. They had a great time! Here are some of the highlights:


Watching the Jelly Belly plane land on the back of a pick-up truck - amazing...




Eating frozen lemonade on a very hot tarmac...

Brad finally having a chance to get some fun shots with his new camera...